Interview With A Local – Larry from Wuhan, China

Welcome to our new series entitled “Interview With A Local”. Vicky and I have been discussing the need for more local representation on our blog and aim to have at least one local from every country we visit take part in an online interview where we ask the questions that have been driving us mad during our stay.

Larry in San Diego

Our first interviewee is Larry from Wuhan, China. Larry was my friend Susan’s couchsurfing host in China and while we have not met him in person we have had many email correspondences and he has helped us immensely with our China itinerary and trip.

Larry has been kind enough to volunteer to answer some very personal questions about China. Please be respectful and understand that these do not necessarily represent the opinions of EVERYONE in China. China is a large country of over 1 billion people. Still, we think it is better to capture a local voice when we can. Lastly, if there are additional questions please write them in the comments and Larry might be able to answer them.

Hey Larry, would you mind introducing yourself to our readers?

Hello everyone , I’m a chemical nerd , 21 , from Wuhan , China !

I love taking adventures and doing novel things , my mind was extremely open and love to make friends !

I have traveled half of China alone , and last year I went to California .

First , I like your questions , they were been frequently asked as I hosted people from all around the world .But , my answer only represent myself , and I’m not one of communist party , thank you !

Abroad we generally view Mao as a tyrant. I can’t tell with the Chinese, but I see his statue pretty much everywhere. What do the Chinese think of Mao? Does the opinion differ between social classes or levels of education?

Everyone thinks differently , but if you have received higher education , you must learning his image as a positive one . All of our history books were telling how great he was , and it was Him and could ONLY be him to built our nation ! ! He was destined to be remembered by all of Chinese .

We don’t learn any of his tyranny part(except from Cultural Revolution ) , or we can’t even began to imagine he was a tyrant . In our books , says his mistake was been misleaded by Bad people(Four People Bang ) , not Mao’s intention .

As I say , I was open minded , and know more about his negative news ( by use VPN , your search will be blocked if include Sensitive Words ) . But still , as our book said , every Great man were not saint . I believe that’s what most of Chinese thinks !

Please explain why the babies have slits in their pants – are diapers not common here?

It’s an embarrassing question , but I would like to tell you what I know .

The truth is , even when I was in elementary school , I can still find many of my pants has slit . *.* Elderly told me it was made for pee in the winter !!! Just as western pants has fly , we have slit .

And diapers was common in the city , I don’t know what’s the situation in rural area . You may see lots of baby in China hanging their …uhm …. I think it was much more comfortable than wrapped in a wet diaper .

Baby spotted on a street in Guilin, China

What do the Chinese think about Tibet and Taiwan?

They are part of China , no doubt about it if you ask any Chinese . I think other country wants to tearing our land apart for their own motivation !! Every inch on our map was OUR land , no matter how foreign media says ! !

How do the Chinese view foreigners? Americans?

I think most of Chinese Curious about foreigners , but also mostly will fill uncomfortable when a foreigner talk to them , because we were shy .

Chinese think Americans were Big , Wealthy , Blond . Just different people . Chinese only hate Japanese , not white people . Japanese leaves trauma in our history , and they were still has quarrel with us on Diaoyu Island .

(But that’s what most thinks , I think everyone was SAME no matter where you from , I want to make friend with Everyone , I believe LOVE can bridge the gap )

Banner hanging outside a store in Lijiang, China

What is the Chinese opinion of North Korea?

Oh , North Korea was like our naughty little brother , he was just like China in the 70s or 80s , still need some time to fit in this world . I don’t like they are altitude towards the world , but what can we do though ? If any power took North Korea , that’s a Huge threaten to China . And that’s why Mao and other leaders doing their best to support North Korea .

What about the one child policy? Sometimes we see parents with two children, are there ways around it? What does the fine cost? What if a woman gets pregnant accidentally?

It’s the Right policy for the long term development in China , but we should not overlooked human rights . You could have more than one children , only need to pay around $5，000 fine . Most women will choose abortion , when the situation were not allowed to have it . There were Unbearing pressure for single moms and unprepared couples . Accidental Pregnant could means the end of the world ! That’s why most woman will choose abortion silently .

How do the Chinese from the cities view the more rural Chinese?

You know there were many labor works comes from rural place , I think their life was too hard , I witnessed their poor dormitory , poor dinner , dirty cloth , dirty hands . Only their eyes were shining , because they are sweating for their Families !! I highly respect them , who arduously constructed our city !! That’s the general ideal when you talk about rural Chinese .

I was luckily to had a chance to live in a rural family house in the summer , before that I never have a chance to feel there life . There were not poor or bad transportation rural area , and my host has their vehicles , three floor flat , farming land , chickens , yard , pig , and every little things that make up a happy life . They were truly warm hearted host , show me around their farm , swimming in a green lake , cook organic food for me . I think that’s the life wealthy old Chinese look forward to , and the serene country side was perfect for retirement .

What’s with all the spitting?

I don’t have much to say about it , it’s true and that’s Chinese . My apology .

How important is religion and how much of a role does it play in the daily life of Chinese people? Are older people more religious than younger people? Is religion starting to be less important than before?

I don’t know much about religion .

Very few Chinese has religion , and it not influence us much . Older people certainly more religious than younger people , and it’s true that it’s getting less important .

Very interesting article! A Chinese person’s take on culture, politics, etc. I had a little chuckle re: the Diaoyu islands (Senkaku to the Japanese). I wonder what’s Larry’s take on the disputed islands in the South China Sea: Spratley, Scarborough Shoal, Paracel islands, etc? 🙂 Interesting take on the diapers. 😉

Hi Katie , I’m Larry . I believe every country goes for it’s own good , so as a Chinese I choose to trust our leader , and those island you mentioned belongs China. I have a Philippine friend for a long time ,and we are really open to talk those issues 🙂

This is a very interesting article, a different view of the Chinese culture at present. I’d like to say that I have so much respect for the Chinese people because they are known to be very hard working. This is a great article!